The present invention relates to the field of lighting systems, and more particularly to recessed lighting systems, and provides a structure for facilitating a completely or partially flush recessed lighting arrangement for an enhanced and finely customizable recessed lighting installation.
One of the primary reasons that conventional recessed lighting systems, especially over systems which protrude from the wall or ceiling, are highly desirable is that they blend with almost any decor. These lighting systems are typically low-profile, and thus do not represent a commitment by the user to any specific decorating orientation. However, conventional recessed lighting systems are typically designed for installation within a ceiling and usually provide strong incandescent or halogen light in narrowly directed beams or spot lights. This kind of lighting can cause eye fatigue over long periods of exposure. Additionally, the harsh and direct lighting provided by the aforementioned recessed lighting methods are not optimal for use in dressing areas, as they tend to produce a shadow effect and can subsequently be less than helpful in fully and evenly illuminating a subject. Therefore, when lighting a bathroom, vanity area, or other location in which it is preferable that the lighting should be of a softer, more evenly distributed quality.
Another lighting option that may provide a less objectionable form of lighting than that previously described is standard incandescent or fluorescent lighting in the form of a wall sconce or a typical wall-mount or ceiling-mount lighting fixture. Although wall sconces are available in a variety of designs, they may not provide adequate task or subject lighting, since their purpose is usually to provide relatively low-power perimeter lighting in a room. Additionally, wall sources are often open toward the ceiling of a room, causing a large portion of the emitted light to be directed upwardly rather than provide direct illumination. Finally, wall sconces typically command the focus in any room in which they are utilized and are therefore diminished as a low-profile option.
What is therefore needed is a system which facilitates a custom installation, provides adequate and unobtrusive lighting, does not require updating, yet continues to meet the necessary requirements for lighting system operation and serviceability. The needed system should be as structurally secure as a conventional system and should facilitate a customized installation flush with the surrounding wall or mirror. The needed system will also be customizable to project slightly forward of or slightly recessed from the surrounding wall or mirror should a more dramatic lighting effect be desired.
An adjustable mount lighting system includes a housing for attachment to an anchoring structure, typically a wall or a beam within a wall. Attachment of the housing to the anchoring structure is facilitated by the use of adjustable brackets fastened to the housing using bolts or other similar connectors, and attached to the anchoring structure using screws or other similar hardware. The housing may preferably be a rectangular shape, having two side walls oppositely disposed from one another and both perpendicularly adjacent and contiguous with a rear enclosure, and two end walls contiguous with and perpendicularly adjacent both the rear enclosure and the two side walls, and oppositely disposed one from another. Each wall of the housing has a first planar portion extending from the rear enclosure to an edge, and a second planar portion extending from the edge toward the opposite wall and perpendicular with the first planar portion. The walls of the housing define an opening adjacent which each of the second planar portions of the walls terminate. Furthermore, the second planar portions of the end walls have apertures therethrough at which a light-transmitting face plate, also included in the adjustable mount lighting system, may be fitted and secured using screws or similar hardware. The side walls of the housing optimally have a series of slots therethrough which are perpendicular to the plane occupied by the opening and to the plane of the rear enclosure. The adjustable brackets each have a first planar portion extending to an edge, and a second planar portion extending away from the edge, each of first and second planar portions having a pair of apertures therethrough, the apertures on the second planar portions elongate as compared to those on the first planar portions. The screws used to attach the adjustable brackets to the anchoring structure are insertable into the elongate apertures of the second planar portions of the adjustable brackets at a variety of positions along the length of the aperture in order to facilitate lateral adjustment of the housing with respect to the anchoring structure prior to attachment of the housing to the anchoring structure. The bolts that attach the adjustable brackets to the housing optimally extend through the apertures of first planar portions of the adjustable brackets and through the corresponding slots of the housing to allow the adjustable brackets to be adjusted along the slots by translation of the bolts within the slots so that the adjustable brackets may be secured to the housing at a selectable position anywhere along the length of the slots. This adjustability allows the entire housing to be selectively positioned in a front-to-rear orientation with respect to the anchoring structure so that once the face plate is attached, the adjustable mount lighting system can be made to fit in a variety of positions defined by the position of the exterior surface of the face plate with respect to the surrounding wall or mirror. For example, the adjustable brackets can be positioned so that the face plate of the adjustable mount lighting system fits flush with, projects forward of, or is recessed from the surrounding wall or mirror.